Models, Clothes, and Tee Pees

This last weekend we had our semi-annual photo shoot. About every 6 months, I go mysteriously missing in preparation for the huge (well, to me, at least) event. I may have the nanny come over a little more, snap at my husband a little more (sorry, Hun), and act a little crazier than normal, but it seems to be a little more "worth it" every time too.

I can never seem to keep up with those moms "doing it all"! Source: Pinterest (Where else?) 

I always try to stay ahead of the game and start a week or so earlier than what I think I actually need to; yet, somehow, I still ALWAYS wind up sewing into the wee hours of 3 AM the night before the photo shoot. My friends and family always joke that I am running my own legitimate "sweat shop" (especially since the air conditioning is pretty much non-existent in my studio). [I am terribly sorry if this offends anyone].

Source

Source

I am starting to find that organizing a fashion shoot is a little like planning a wedding. You want everything to be perfect, because you only get one shot. And, of course, when you're wanting everything to go perfect, it usually does NOT. You're coordinating models/ their families {for the kiddos}, assistants, photographers, manufacturers, {your family schedule}, studio time, etc. I nearly killed someone because I ordered a tee pee that didn't arrive on time for the children's photo shoot. Yes. A tee pee. In hind-sight, really not that big of deal (though, I received the tee pee yesterday, and I'm pretty much obsessed. Nix is the cutest thing I've ever seen playing in it. Maybe it's his native side coming out? ;) )

I apologize for the horrible quality of this photo; it's just the perfect caption of his excitement!

I'm pretty excited to share some sneak peeks with you. This fall/winter season, we're taking things to a whole new level. With the exception of a few small pieces, our kids collection will be entirely from OAK (my own handmade label), and our women's collection will be a variety of gorgeous new brands, including Love Stitch (often found at Nordstrom). You'll find a ton of native influence mixed with a hint of industrial-chic inspiration. It's the perfect collection to fit your many "everyday roles". Whether you and your little are playing at the park, headed out to a holiday gathering, or you're at the office, or in class, we're sure to have something perfect to fit what you're looking for!

OAK Children's Collection Sneak Peek; Paired with gorgeous moccs from Happy and the Hectic

Lucky enough to have these gorgeous ladies modeling for our shop!

Let's Get Real.

So, some of you may have noticed (or not) that it's been a while since I've posted. So sorry to leave you hanging! As a momma of a toddler, wife to a full-time student working toward medical school, and a new business owner, things tend to get a little CRAZY around here (including me ;) )

Ever since we arrived home from our family vacation (a post on that to come, I PROMISE), I have been telling myself, "I'll get a post up about it tomorrow". And then "tomorrow" comes.... We've been back for about a month now...

Anyone else ever feel this way? You're just so overwhelmed; "Bleh"

Let me just tell you about this month I've had since we've been back. Honestly, I couldn't be more grateful for the way that things have been going. I sometimes feel that life is moving a lightning speed and that I could slow it down just a bit, but I can't remember a time I've been happier. Nixon just turned 2 (ugh, I know, already?...post on that to come too!), great things are happening with Kindred OAK (SO much in store for you all, I cannot wait to share everything happening), and everything just seems to be falling in to place for my husband and his new journey up ahead. As all of this is going on, it can be so easy to get caught-up in day-to-day stuff. I can't help but think about something my dear friend, Katie, mentioned on her blog a while ago (check out here darling blog here)... In her post she said, "Just breathe." This could not be more any more fitting for me right now. As lucky as we are right now, it's still easy to let the stress get to me, and these two words have helped me to re-evaluate when I find myself getting sucked-in. 

We push ourselves to "be the best". Whether it's the being the most organized mom heading-up all of your child's functions, the most fashionable mommy blogger, the most balanced working mom, number one in your college class, or number one at work... where does it end? Sometimes we just need to be okay with where we're at and realize that everything else will fall into place.

This is always such a great reminder for me

I think women, in particular, are so critical of themselves (I would know from experience). Why do we do that? Though I've never in my life have I been more critical of myself than this past year, I have never been more proud of who I am. I am learning to be okay with that, and trying to go a little easier on myself.

Now, after all that babbling... what is my point? My point is- I had to be okay with letting a few things take the backseat this month. The blog being one of them. :) So, I'm sorry. Don't worry, though; I've still got plenty to say, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. 

xoxo
Paige

PS- I'm thinking that last part reflects my guilty addiction to Gossip Girl just a little ;)

Fitted Crib Sheet Tutorial

I'm so excited to share my first tutorial with you! It's extremely easy and can be done by even beginners! 

Fitted Crib Sheets.

You will need....

1. A piece of fabric 45" wide by 72" (2 yards) long. I prefer a soft quilters cotton, but you can use what you feel is best.

2. Approximately 75" ish of 1/4" elastic ( I just bought a pre-packaged 3 yard elastic)

3. Sewing  machine and thread.

4. Scissors or a rotary blade

5. Tape measure or dress-makers ruler

6. Pins

Let's get started!

Start with your fabric folded in half length-wise (or "hot dog style") and measure a square 8" x 8" on the open (not folded) side of the fabric. Flip your fabric and do the same on the other end (again, not on the folded side). This will be the base for your corner.

When you open up your fabric, it should look like this on both ends.

Pull the edges of the square you just cut to meet...

... And pin them together.

Then stitch them shut! If you have a serger, this would be a great way to finish the edges; I have a mock-serge stitch and just used that, but you can also use a basic zig-zag to ensure durability through washes.

Mock-serge edges

After you're finished stitching up all 4 corners, flip them right side out and they should look like this.

Now we're going to add the casing for the elastic...

Fold your edge over .25" and press, all the way around the sheet.

Now press the edge over again, but .5" this time, and pin.

Sew along your casing, close the open edge, making sure to leave about 1" open to insert your elastic.

It's time to add the elastic! (You're almost done! woot-woot!)

Take your .25" elastic and measure out approximately 75" (you can make this a little tighter/ looser depending on the amount of stretch you would like to have when you place the sheet on the mattress)....

Attach a safety pin to one end of your elastic.

Use this pin to guide your elastic through your entire casing, and out the other open end.

Once you reach the other end of the opening, zig-zag stitch your elastic together. Make sure you give it a pretty heavy-duty stich; you don't want this to come undone! Stitch the opening shut.

Now flip that sheet right side out (if it's not already) and, if you're a little anal like me, iron it! haha This is definitely not required. Place it on the mattress and YOU'RE DONE! YAY! See, I told you it was easy! (Lenny likes it too! ;) )

I want to see your finish products! Make sure you share them in the comments below!

Marriage.

Today my post is about marriage.

Sunday was our one-year anniversary, and though this may seem  like nothing to some of the great relationships that have withstood the test of time, they say the first year is the hardest, right? In this year, I have learned SO much about myself, and of course my husband. Here is what I have learned about being married...

Christian and I are both BIG dreamers. This can be extremely difficult sometimes because we are so opposite and often have very different goals (mostly career-wise). Running a brand new business, while being a stay-at-home mom to an almost two-year-old, and being married to an ambitious husband preparing for medical school takes its toll on you some days, but it gives the biggest rewards too. We have learned what it is to truly compromise. We have learned how to communicate and share what is really on our mind, and we continue to get better at this every day. I cannot stress enough what great communication can do for a relationship. After all, men (or women, for that matter) are not mind readers! This is sometimes easy to forget ;)

For as much as you compromise in a marriage, it is so vitally important that you surround yourself with amazing, supportive friends that you can have "me-time" with. It's important to have things you do separate from each other or you start becoming less like a couple, and too much like one person... Find things that make you happy individually and you may discover something new about yourself or about one another. You'll find yourself appreciating your time together a lot more too.

Marriage really is a lot of work, but I also believe that you get what you put into it. The harder you work, the greater your relationship will be. It's not just about these two people being together forever; it's about two individuals learning how to better themselves, how to become more selfless and how to encourage each other to grow into something wonderful. 

A Few Things I'm Loving...

Now, before I start this, I just have to tell you how much I used to HATE shopping online. Weird. I know. BUT ever since I began running this little online business of mine, I have realized how WONDERFUL online shopping is! I'm kind of addicted! Like, I even shop for most of my work supplies, etc online. I just love receiving "happy mail"! So without much further ado... Here are some of the things I am loving from the world wide web...

1.

Michaela Noelle Designs

2.

BE Little You and Me

3.

                                                                    Freshly Picked

1. Michaela is the first blogger I ever advertised with and she is an absolute sweetheart! I am totally obsessed with her gorgeous taste and amazing eye for interior design. Blogs like this are so great for finding fun little items you never even knew you were shopping for; if she is not already on your list of blogs, I definitely recommend adding this blog to your list!

2. I am so in love we these darling little tee pee tents! This fellow Etsy seller is a momma to a little guy with her second babe on the way! Not sure how she finds time to make these darling creations, but I'm glad she does! I'm SO tempted to get Nix one for his birthday...

3. If you haven't heard of Freshly Picked moccasins, be sure to click on that link! Right. Now. Susan has been creating and perfecting these little moccasins since 2009. We just ordered Nix his very first pair and I cannot wait to share pictures with you! They're the perfect pairing with some OAK leggings or shorts!

What are you finding and loving in this enormous web world? 

Pinterest Support Group?

Are you as addicted to Pinterest as I am? As a DIY-aholic, it's easy for me to spend hours perusing through Pinterest and imagine all the changes I'll be making around the house.... Except for those "amazing, briliant ideas" turn into "unfinished projects" a lot of the time... (You're welcome, hubby!) Does this happen to you too?

As the time slowly approaches us to put our house on the market, I figure this is the perfect time to actually put some of those ambitious "pins" to use. Thus, the beginning of many fun new tutorials! Some of you may have seen this little sneak peek on instagram of Nixon's new crib sheet  I'll be attempting....

Tutorial on this to come!

One pin I found to be a reasonable project to add to the list are these darling His & Hers towel hooks. So much more fun than a boring towel rod.

Photo credit: The Average Jess

I'll be sharing my experience as I re-create some of the Pinterest projects and add some of my own to the list, so be sure to follow along!

I want to know..... What are some of the things you found on Pinterest you're wanting to attempt?

Party Like It's Your Birthday

Yesterday, I turned 25 years young. It went a little something like this.... (just in case you missed the "overgramming" on Instagram ;) )

Because my smartie-pants husband is back in school in hopes to reach medical school, the bug and I had our own little Birthday Breakfast Celebration...

...at Krispy Kreme. We got to see how the doughnuts are made, and then Nixon got to pick out his own doughnut, carefully selecting the chocolate frosting with sprinkles. Great choice. Nix almost never gets to have any food over-loaded in sugar (especially for breakfast), so needless to say, he was in sugar-coma heaven. 

After breakfast, Christian came home from class, and I was on my way to the spa (totally spoiled, I know).

Now, I must tell you, I never take time for anything like this; in fact, I have had a gift card for the spa for about 3 months.... (More on this to come.) It was glorious! I didn't realize how awful all of that stress in your back is until I felt so amazing after! I took time to shower that nasty oil out of my hair and lather myself in carefully selected lotions, hair products, and the best lip scrub of my life (don't worry, I bought some & I'll share about this in another post). 

After feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, I treated myself to a little lunch & shopping at Victoria's Secret. Sorry, no picture on this one ;)

Before I knew it, it was dinner time! Dinner was followed by an unexpected trip to the cupcake shop while waiting for our movie to start (where we gorged ourselves on popcorn, I might add. Pretty sure no woman in their right mind would EVER approve of this day's diet). 

Finally, we ended the evening with Iron Man 3. And since I can never get the hubby to take a serious picture with me (probably because he knows it will show up everywhere on the internet! haha), my picture-documentation went something like this...

...that awkward moment when you're hoping no one walks in because you are taking a "selfie" in the movie theater bathroom mirror! Whatever. It's my birthday. 

At the end of this amazing day, I had a little time to reflect and here is what I came up with...

- Ladies, we cannot do everything on our own! (Even though some days, it seems much easier...) Be sure to surround yourself with positive people that support you and love you. It makes life much more enjoyable.

- Take time to enjoy YOU. Refuel yourself. It's okay to spoil yourself every once in a while and let everyone else around you fend for themselves. This is probably something I struggle with most.

- Last, who cares what number is on that birthday cake! Embrace all of your new wisdom that comes with turning another year older, and use it to make next year even better.

So go on, and PARTY LIKE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! Take a little "you" time this week! I want to know what you do to celebrate yourself this week (even if it's something as small as an extra cookie- for breakfast!). 

<3 Paige